Classification of Chewing Cycles: Different Motion Paths May Indicate Differences in Function

Chewing cycles of ten healthy adults who ingested cooked rice were classified into three groups by using principal component and cluster analyses. The appearance ratios of the groups differed significantly among the stages, when chewing sequences were equally divided into three stages according to the number of cycles (paired-t test with Bonferroni correction, p < 0.016). This suggests that groups which differ in form may also differ in function.